1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of diaper covers which are worn around the outside of diapers by babies. The present invention also relates to diapers. The present invention relates in particular to industrial diaper covers and diapers which undergo constant and repeated washing in large numbers during a single wash. In particular, the present invention relates to a novel self closure means to cover the fastening means on the diaper cover or diaper while the diaper cover or diaper is being washed.
2. Description of The Prior Art
There are numerous types of diaper covers and diapers with different kinds of fastening means well known in the prior art. Non-sharp fastening means are commonly used in most types of diaper covers and diapers because the likelihood of a wearer being accidentally injured is substantially reduced. One of the most popular non-sharp fastening means used for the diaper covers in the market today is the VELCRO-R like fastener.
A typical VELCRO-R like fastener comprises a male VELCRO-R like closing member and a female VELCRO-R like closing member. A male VELCRO-R like closing member is often a mating strip with a surface made by filamentary hook type attachment material. A female VELCRO-R like closing member is often a mating strip with a surface made by filamentary loop type or brushed nylon type attachment material. When the two complementary closing members are closed together, they are fastened to each other to serve as a fastener.
However there have been some problems in using hook and loop fasteners on a garment which is frequently washed such as a diaper cover or diaper and especially an industrial diaper cover or diaper. In a situation where a diaper cover with hook and loop fasteners is thrown into a laundering machine, especially when dealing with industrial diaper covers where a large quantity of diaper covers with hook and loop fasteners are thrown into a laundering machine, it is very likely that one closing member of one diaper cover is going to close onto another complementary closing member either of the same diaper cover or of a different one. In either case it will somewhat at least partially close the diaper covers involved which prevent them from being properly cleaned. In addition, male hook closing members, even if they are not closed onto the loop closing members, still have a very good chance to collect lint onto their own surfaces in the washing process and that will greatly reduce their usefulness in the future.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,591 issued to Coates on Aug. 27, 1985 for "Adjustable Diaper With A Backband And Fastening Protection Means" discloses a conventional washable adjustable size diaper with VELCRO-R fastening means. The concept of this invention is very much related to an adjustable size diaper which requires the diaper to be substantially rectangular in shape. Nevertheless it also discloses the use of VELCRO-R fastener means. The VELCRO-R fastening means comprises a pair of male VELCRO-R closing tabs attached to the edges of two corners of the diaper respectively and several female VELCRO-R closing strips attached onto the outer side of the diaper adjacent to an opposite edge respectively for adjustable size. It further comprises a pair of female VELCRO-R covering strips attached also to the edges adjacent to the male VELCRO-R closing strips. The male VELCRO-R closing strips may be closed onto the female VELCRO-R closing strips when the diaper is in use, and the female VELCRO-R covering strips may be closed onto the male VELCRO-R closing strips when the diaper is being washed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,581 issued to Coates on July 21, 1987 for "Adjustable Size Diaper And Folding Method Therefor" also discloses an adjustable size diaper with VELCRO-R fastening means. There is also an invention related to an adjustable size diaper and folding methods which takes advantage of a special design of attaching a female VELCRO-R closing bar in the inner side of the diaper adjacent to an edge of the diaper so that when part of the diaper is folded outwardly for adjusting size, the female VELCRO-R like closing bar would face outwardly for fastening. In order to be able to adjust the size, there is adjustment along with a primary fastening means for fastening the diaper to a wearer. The primary fastening means is VELCRO-R fasteners, and the additional fastening means may be snaps or VELCRO-R fasteners. Extra female VELCRO-R covering members are also used for covering the male VELCRO-R closing members in laundering.
There were some similarities in the VELCRO-R fastening means in the above inventions. The female VELCRO-R closing strips were attached adjacent to one edge of the diaper. The male VELCRO-R like closing strips were attached adjacent to the corners at another opposite edge of the diaper. The way the male VELCRO-R closing strip is attached is to have one end of the strip free-floating and the other end attached to the corner edge of the diaper. In the same way the female VELCRO-R covering strips are attached to the diaper adjacent to the male VELCRO-R closing strips respectively. However there are some disadvantages to this type of attaching means. One disadvantage is that when the male VELCRO-R closing strips close onto the female VELCRO-R closing strips, all the strength applied on the male VELCRO-R closing strips will be transferred on the connecting point at the corner edge of the diaper. It is well known that the edge of clothing is very easily damaged in wearing and washing and having the fastening strips attached to it will definitely increase the chances of tearing it off. Therefore having fastening means attached to the corner edge of a diaper or diaper cover reduces the reliability and durability of the diaper. Another disadvantage of having only one end of the VELCRO-R strips attached to the edge of a diaper is that since they stick out from the edge of the diaper without any further support they tend to become wrinkled, warped and deteriorated because of the extended exposure to the high temperature and harsh chemicals in laundering.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,030 issued to Coates on July 14, 1987 for "Garment Having Improved, Self Closing, Filamentary Fasteners" discloses a diaper where at least two pieces of fabric have been used for the purpose of having the male VELCRO-R closing strips and the female VELCRO-R covering strips completely attached onto respective pieces of fabric. Instead of one end of the male VELCRO-R closing strip and the female VELCRO-R covering strip being freefloating, one end of the piece of fabric on which the female VELCRO-R covering strip is attached is free-floating.
The above invention provided one approach to preventing the VELCRO-R strips from being wrinkled and warped during laundering. However this approach has a few drawbacks. One drawback is that it uses more fabric materials which eventually increase the cost of the diaper. Another drawback is that when the diaper is worn, the piece of fabric which has a free-floating end is folded inward, therefore the thickness at that part of the diaper is doubled which reduces the comfort for the baby and further makes it awkward to use.
It will be very useful to have garments such as diaper covers and diapers with VELCRO-R or hook and loop fasteners which are self-closing to prevent lint accumulation on the hook member. In addition, such members are fully supported by the garment to prevent wrinkling and warping and further resist deterioration, all without necessitating the use of extra material. Such diaper or diaper covers will be very reliable yet comfortable to wear. The hook and loop closing members will prevent the standard diaper or diaper cover from closing so that the entire diaper or diaper cover can be effectively washed.